When does a day begin? When does it end? Does dawn arrive with the distant blush of the dark sky? Or does it set in when a young sun hesitatingly appears at the horizon? Does the dwindling warmth announce a day’s demise, or does it linger till the last light is sucked out? Day is imperceptibly born in dawn and dissolves as furtively in dusk. Autumn unhurriedly begets winter. Winter disappears in spring. Spring after a protracted labour births summer that unbeknownst metamorphoses into autumn. When does life begin? Does the beat of foetus’ heart announce a new life? What about the three-day old embryo or a single-celled zygote after fertilization of the egg? Or each of the ova and the millions of sperm? Each of these throbs with potential of bringing forth a new life. Nature goes on cycling in its rhythm, ceaselessly and imperturbably. These relentless revolutions, pursued over eons, give rise to variations. Newer elements born with their unique cycles mingle in the grind of unive...
Desire to live long has agitated human heart for ever. Our myths are built around the immortality of gods in heaven and the transience of life on earth. In their longing for an unending life our ancestors adorned their gods with preposterous life spans. A day in Brahma’s life, Kalpa, comprised 4.32 billion earth-years. This was followed by a night of similar length, Pralaya. Humans are the only animals aware of their mortality. By being aware I mean, we, unlike any other animal, can vividly imagine a future where we would not be around. To preserve life is an instinct of every living organism. But none can imagine the scenario of their own demise. Prospection, an ability to look into the future world, is a unique human attribute. The prospect of death, magnificently illustrated by our foresight, is inconceivably disturbing. Longing to live for ever is born of this fear. Death is negation of living. It is the irrevocable end of everything that a life represented – a companion, a spo...
How does one know past? Is history faithful in capturing it? Is history a discovery or an invention? History is the study of past societies, cultures, and civilisations. Historians analyse material remains of old civilisations such as archaeological diggings, artifacts, documents, and literature to build their narrative. They write about events removed hundreds and thousands of generations from their time. Cultures and civilisations are the product of human thought. And thoughts change with time Stones do not speak. Mind, with its ideas, is not fossilised. Zeitgeist is not recorded on imperishable tablets. Sketchy written documents, if any are available, never relate a cogent, verifiable narrative. How do historians then collate history of ideas from the material evidence they study? When the evidence is so feeble, what is it that allows an historian to read the mind of historical figures, to discover intentions behind their apparent actions, to comment on their morals? Historians...
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